Personal Training in QLD

Personal Training in New Zealand

Sean’s DIY Cardio Training guide*

Tuesday, 20 December 2016, By Sean Raso

Do you ever wonder after your first goal session when your
trainer entered "cardio plan" into your training schedule what that
actually means? Did you wander out of your goals session 1 and
wonder what "low-moderate" and "hard" cardio actually mean? Do you
understand what hard cardio is and how to actually reach that level
of intensity in a session by yourself? I will aim to answer all of
these questions for you in this article!

Frequency:

To see an improvement in your cardiovascular fitness, you should
be performing cardiovascular exercise a minimum of 4 - 5 times per
week. Interval training should be performed 2- 3 times per
week.

Intensity:

The intensity of your cardio program is an extremely important
aspect of your training and will be a massive factor as to whether
you achieve your goal or not. There are two different types of
intensity that you can work at. They are low-moderate and hard.
Below I will explain these two intensities and how they affect the
body differently. However, first it is important to understand your
maximum heart rate, as your maximum heart rate is the most
important indicator as to which zone you are working in. Basically,
to work out your maximum heart rate, it is the simple equation of
220 - your age. So, a 40-year-old person's maximum heart rate will
be 180 bpm (220 - 40 = 180). Low-moderate intensity cardio is when
you are working at any intensity less than 80% of your max. heart
rate. High intensity cardio is when you are working between 80-100%
Max heart rate.

Low-moderate:

To be working in the low - moderate intensity cardio zone, you
should be working in a zone typically between 65 - 80% of your
maximum heart rate. A good level to tell if you are working hard
enough is to check your breathing rate and heart rate. If you have
a slightly elevated heart rate and an elevated breathing rate, you
are working at a hard-enough level. You should work at this
intensity for 30-60 minutes to gain any real benefit from your
session.

The science behind hard cardio/interval
training:

As personal trainers, we don't just use hard cardio to punish
you. There are actually many studies that prove the benefits of
hard cardio. Hard cardio is used to increase what is known as the
anaerobic threshold. The anaerobic threshold is the point at which
the lactic acid accumulation surpasses the breakdown of lactic
acid. To put it simply, it is the point when you increase your
intensity of cardio exercise to the point where your muscles start
to feel like they are burning and you can't continue at that
intensity. By working in that hard intensity cardio zone, your
muscles and heart are adapting to those conditions and your
anaerobic threshold is increasing. The main advantage of increasing
your anaerobic threshold is to allow you to work at a higher
intensity for a longer amount of time. Put simply, this is what
allows you to go from a fast-paced walk to a jog or a jog to a run
for example. Increasing this anaerobic threshold is important for
fat loss as well as sporting performance, because it allows you to
burn more energy in a session and allows you to go faster and
harder for longer. You should perform hard cardio/interval training
for approximately 30 minutes.

Using the VVT app in your cardio session:

Did you know that when you are doing a cardio program at the
studio you can set your phone up to use it as a tracker for your
cardio session? This will tell you exactly what intensity to work
at and exactly how much time to work at that intensity for. Simply
open your VVT app and go into the training diary. Here you can
click on the day and choose to add "My cardio program". Once you
open "My Cardio Program" you can actually input and save the times
and intensities that you have worked at so you know what they were
for next time.

How to apply overload to your cardio
program.

As with resistance training, it is important to continually
progressively overload your cardio program so you can reap the
benefits of your hard work and continually improve your fitness.
There are a number of ways to do this with regards to cardio
training:

Increase the time of your session (e.g. Run twice around the
block instead of once)

Increase the intensity of your session (e.g. Try to cover the
same amount of distance in a shorter time, add some hills into your
run/walk)

Change up the type of activity you are doing (etc. go for a
bike ride instead of a run, go for a swim instead of a bike
ride.)

Do some interval training instead of continuous training.

Use a different machine (Stepper instead of bike, bike instead
of treadmill etc.)

Remember for that extra little push and accountability during
the session we have our group classes. These are a great way to
make up your hard cardio while training with a fantastic group of
like-minded people. Come into the studio to have a look at the
group training timetable and choose an awesome class to come
to!

I hope this article has been helpful for you in understanding
your cardio requirements. Remember that if you need help in
constructing a cardio program you can always ask your personal
trainer here at Vision Personal Training Templestowe. Get out there
and start smashing some cardio and don't forget to ask any of us
trainers for a well-earned stretch when you're done!